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Oct 28, 2005

I've decided that cosmopolitan just isn't a very stellar name for a magazine.

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yeah well quiktrip called me the other day and said I got the job. That's good, as far as I'm concerned. good pay, better benefits- But really I just needed a second job. *Shrugs* It'll be okay, though.

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Oct 26, 2005

eaaghhh 

what am I doing? what am I doing...??? I can't write- at least it seems that way. I mean, I'm writing more now than I was a week ago, but it feels like I can't write!


My job is a HUGE mess, at this point. No, everything is GOING fine, but for god's sakes- I'm caught between a boss who makes unreasonable requests and a fellow supervisor who is a raging- and yes, I mean raging- bitch.

I'm beginning to hate my job. hate it. hate. It's nice to be called in and get more extra hours- right? It happens all the time. Which would be okay except that there's nothing to do at work, not even work, most of the time, and I'm the only one who seems to care about some of the things there. Am I starting to not care? I don't know, maybe. It's non-compliance, unprofesionalism (which I'm not sure is an exact word but who gives a flying fuck), and bullshit all the way. Half of these people are just burned, and mean BURNED out on their jobs, just repeating the same routine....

My story is in shambles. I had a plan, but then I got it too detailed, or didn't write fast enough, or was too depressed when I started it so it's too dark- I DON'T KNOW! whatever the hell the reason I don't like parts of it, they just don't hold up. FUCK!

Obviously, I'm not in a good mood. I'm tired... of being snapped at, of being called in, of listening to old and crotchety racist/sexist/inferiorists. tired. tired. tired.

Actually, this is really helping me feel better. thank god. I needed to post.

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Oct 12, 2005

I'm currently reading Lord of Light, by Roger Zelany, Alector's Choice, by L.E. Modessit Jr, and The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (better known as the DSM-IV), compiled by the American Psychiatric Association.

good stuff, you know?


All parents seem, to a degree, to live vicariously through their children.
And then some parents
really seem to live vicariously through their children.

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Oct 8, 2005

SO We're in best buy the other day looking at wireless connections so that I can have internet in my room, and this guy helping us (Tracy and I) asks where we're setting this wireless system up. At this point in the story, opinions differ- some bystanders would later say that the best buy employee was talking about apartments in general, and some bystanders would argue that he was only talking about the Netgear wireless router. Either way, pretty much everyone agreed that the employee was not clear enough (thus the cause for the initial confusion) and he quite possibly didn't know what he was talking about.
Back to the main point, before all that useless sidetrack information that just helps describe what WILL happen, Mr. Best Buy Employee (from now on we'll call him Bee, which is like an acronym but not) asks us where this network is going to be.
In an apartment, I respond.
Bee winces, and says You might want to have our Geek Squad set it up for you and make it secure- When you set up a a wireless network it creates a 300 foot bubble. anyone within that bubble can log into your IP address and then they can get into your computers. If they do something illegal, it will only be tracked back to you and you would be responsible unless they took your entire computer apart...
This doesn't sound right to me- I've been on/worked with secure networks before. So I ask if he can tell me how you might make a wireless network secure.
Bee looks uncomfortable and replies, It's too hard for me to even begin to explain. I'd just let the geek squad handle it...
He doesn't really trail off like that, but he might as well have because I'm suddenly pissed off at Bee. Pretend that you know very little about computers- Maybe you don't have to pretend- but if someone just told you this, and you knew next to nothing, wouldn't you be a little bit freaked out? I know I would. He basically just said (to the untuned ear):
"Blah blah blah blah HACKERS blah blah blah IMPOSSIBLE blah blah blah Illegal activites ALL YOUR FAULT!"
I don't know a ton about computers, but I guess I know more than your average american- enough to wonder what he's babbling about. Does he know what he's talking about? Am I wrong? Is he just trying to make a bigger sale by getting us to go with geek squad (allthough he did say that none of them were commisioned, so it probably wouldn't have been for his own gain)?
I'm holding a Netgear wireless router and a Linksys wireless router in my hand. It's not perfectly clear as to whether or not he's talking about one, or both of these routers. If he's just talking about the Netgear, that's possible. I didn't buy it and I know very little about how it works.
If he was talking about both routers, then he had no idea what the hell was going on. Your average-sized white mouse could make a secure network using the Linksys router simply by stumbling across the computer's keyboard in the setup screen, but that's not quite the issue at hand.
We end up buying the Linksys, and taking it home. after some debate, it's decided that I'll give it a shot- I'm going to try to hook up this router and make it secure- or at least try to accomplish this, as Bee basically described it, insurmountable task.
This is where the white mouse example comes into play. after your basic "Plug this into that" CD walkthrough and the "please set a security password to limit access to this network," it tells you that to connect a wireless device TO the router (that is, say, the wireless card in my computer) you have to hold down a button ON the router until it starts flashing to even make the two communicate.
Not only does, say, my computer NEED a password to log IN- to even make my computer COMMUNICATE with the router I have to physically push a button ON the router.

Now if that's not a secure network, I don't know what is. I understand SOMEONE could find a way in, but if they were that talented, why our network? why not steal some rich person's credit information?

Since I already know that the Linksys router is secure, I did some research on the Netgear router we nearly bought-

Allthough the Netgear doesn't have the button, it looks pretty secure, too. It has the access key built into it.
So then, what was Bee talking about? He obviously wasn't talking about either one of these routers- they come fairly secure. Short of someone ACTIVELY hacking into our network (again, I ask you, why our network, if you have the ability?), Let's take a look at what else he said:

If they do something illegal, it will only be tracked back to you and you could be responsible.

am I wrong, or does the router KNOW what is hooked up to it? I'm pretty sure it does. I'd have to do more research on this topic, but it's my understanding that in and out information would be recorded.
It doesn't even really matter whether or not the router does, in fact, record this. Bee was completely wrong on a couple of other points.

But basically, go get Linksys. and when someone from best buy says "maybe you'd better have the geek squad do that," you'd better start asking questions. after all, a white mouse could have made my network secure.

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useless information 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
C H A R L E S T O N

Here's something uselss I'm sure you'll all care about- the charleston coding system. CON would be $1.90. It's used to designate cost, apparently.


Osco is going well- except that I'm NOT getting enough hours for what they're paying me. I'm going through PIC training there AGAIN, and this entire thing has been one huge impressive story to tell.

The other day I call my old book keeper to see why I hadn't recieved my vacation check yet, and she says "they should have sent it to you, You usually get it a few weeks after termination."
Termination? what?
"well, you quit, didn't you? I turned in a term paper on you."
*sigh.*
I didn't quit, but it's really besides the point- Things like this AREN'T a new problem, by any means.
I'm still employed, her "term" sheet didn't stop that because I switched divisions. however, it made it impossible for me to currently set up direct deposit with my paycheck because Central Drug has me as an employee but the Albertsons main system doesn't think my social security number exists.
Whatever.
So now I'm looking for another, second job. I applied at target and T-mobile, I'm thinking about applying at a bank, at Quiktrip (when tracy contacts her cousin, who is a manager there), at Dillons... I don't know where else. Blockbuster, maybe.

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